Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday November 12, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz is hoping to be healthy in time to make an impact at this year's ATP Finals, and his quest begins tomorrow with a second round robin match Andrei Rublev in Turin.
Losing 6-1, 7-5 to Casper Ruud in his ATP Finals debut, Alcaraz admitted afterward that he didn't feel 100 percent.
“A few days before I got here, I got sick at home,” he said. “And yes, on the days I practiced here, I felt good. Not perfect, but okay. I could play. I felt that I could go into the circles and practice. Obviously, in matches it is completely different.
“But today I didn't feel well. This morning, I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach. After the long rallies today, I was not feeling well. I don't want to say it because I don't want to sound like an excuse. But when I'm sad, I'm sad. This is what happened today.”
In addition to illness, Alcaraz is battling several other issues. First, he is wearing the fatigue of another long season in a pressure-filled Olympic year that has seen him compete in 64 games, with more to come.
“I dare say every player is mentally exhausted,” he said on Monday. “If someone says they are fresh, they are lying. Some players deal with it better than others. I'm tired. I am mentally exhausted. Obviously a lot of games, a tight schedule, a very tough year without a lot of rest days. “
Alcaraz echoes the reality of the tour schedule – it's a tough situation for any player taking their place at the ATP Finals this week, not just him. Alcaraz, who is only 21 years old, says he needs to learn about his body and how to better manage fatigue.
“Since the beginning of the year, he has been accumulating hours, days. You enter this part of the year tired,” he said. “As I said many, many times, I think this year I am much better than last year, but I have to find a way to perform and give good tennis. [while] mental fatigue,” he said.
Alcaraz also admits he needs to be a better player indoors. He is 23-11 under the roof with zero titles, compared to 184-44 without and 16 titles. His main rival Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, is within 68-21 with six titles.
“I don't feel like I'm a bad player in the house,” Alcaraz said. “Maybe I will say that many players are better than me in the infield.
“I will be a good player on indoor courts, I am sure of it. But I think it's time, in terms of getting the experience, getting the match on my back, hitting the inner courts.”
